March 4, 2013. Today, we start going through the HIPAA Privacy Rule, section by section, as modified in the Final Rule: Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach Notification Rules Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act [HITECH Act] and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act; Other Modifications of the HIPAA Rules, which was published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2013. The effective date of the Final Rule is March 26, 2013, and covered entities and business associates must comply by September 23, 2013. Our focus today is on covered entities in 45 CFR 164.502: Uses and disclosures of protected health information: General…
Tag: accounting of disclosures
ONC Touts its 10 Step Plan for Meeting Meaningful Use Privacy and Security Attestation Requirements
In a recent Tweet, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) stated: “Move into the 21st Century and check out the Privacy & Security 10-Step Plan before you implement an Electronic Health Record.” ONC makes the following recommendation to an Eligible Professional (EP) covered entity participating in the Medicare and Medicaid Financial Incentive Program for Adoption and Meaningful Use of Certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) Technology: “An EP must meaningfully use certified EHR technology for an EHR reporting period, and then attest to CMS [the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] that he or she has met meaningful use for that period. Start your 10-step process at…
OCR Publishes HIPAA/HITECH Act Privacy and Security Compliance Audit Protocol
July 9, 2012. Late in June, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its HIPAA/HITECH Act Privacy and Security Compliance Audit Protocol. Here is OCR’s description of the program, which outlines 77 audit procedures for the HIPAA Security Rule and 88 audit procedures for the HIPAA Privacy and HITECH Act Breach Notification Rules: “The OCR HIPAA Audit program analyzes processes, controls, and policies of selected covered entities pursuant to the HITECH Act audit mandate. OCR established a comprehensive audit protocol that contains the requirements to be assessed through these performance audits. The entire audit protocol is organized around modules, representing separate…
ONC Publishes Stage 2 EHR Technology Certification Criteria NPRM
On March 7, 2012, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published in the Federal Register its notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) entitled Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record [EHR] Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology [pp. 13832-13885]. Comments to HHS may be made until 5 PM on May 7, 2012. The summary of the NPRM is included here: “Under section 3004 of the Public Health Service Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is proposing to revise the initial set…
HHS Publishes HITECH Act Accounting of Disclosures NPRM
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published in the May 31, 2011, Federal Register the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) entitled HIPAA Privacy Rule Accounting of Disclosures Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (76(104), pp. 31426-31449). This NPRM is available online in pdf. Comments on the NPRM are requested to be submitted on or before August 1, 2011. The Summary of the NPRM with abbreviations, as noted, on p. 31426, is: “HHS is issuing this NPRM to modify the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s standard for accounting of disclosures of protected health information. The purpose of these modifications…
OMB Clears HITECH Act Accounting of Disclosures NPRM
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), responsible for enforcement of the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, will issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to modify the HIPAA Privacy Rule as necessary to implement the accounting of disclosures provisions of Section 13405(c) of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) (Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009–Public Law 111-5). Section 13405(c) is entitled: Accounting of Certain Protected Health Information Disclosures Required if Covered Entity Uses Electronic Health Record. The NPRM was submitted on February 9, 2011, by HHS to the Office…